Declaration of War
The Senkaimon opened at the doors of the Seijin Temple. Out of it, walked Koga, Renge, Kento, Tenyo, Ken'ichi, and Seireitou. Koga did the honors of opening the giant doors for the group, "Don't worry, Haruko-chan. We'll be back for you soon..." he thought as he entered the temple complex. Within the complex, they were greeted by Masters Kamui and Sorata Nekoi, as well as Grandmaster Junsui Kirei. "Welcome everyone." stated Kamui, as Seireitou walked up toward him. "Kamui, we took out one of the Five. I figure that should lessen the forces that the Arrancar possess. Also... we learned that the Arrancar are being led by a man known as Takashi Sora." he conveyed. Junsui narrowed his eyes, "Sora, eh? It's been a long time since I've heard that name. I see that you lot are out one member." he noticed. "What happened-?" however, before he could finish his sentence, he noticed Koga with hollowified eyes. "Koga! What happened to you?!" the old man roared, showing a rare moment of shock. Koga looked at the floor, "I'm not entirely sure of the details, Master. All I know is that it has something to do with Sora and the Hōgyoku." he explained. Seireitou sighed softly, "It appears that Sora is planning something strange... I am almost worried this will involve similar events as the era with Aizen and the Kurosaki brat." he suggested. Junsui stroked his beard, "Kurosaki...Ichigo.." he muttered. "A brat indeed, only this time we won't let things get out of hand. We need to prepare for combat against the higher ups. Any suggestions?" Looking over to Koga, Seireitou smiled softly. "I suggest having the Seijin Order set up perimeters around the Seijin Temple and surrounding Rukongai in case of attack. Now, regarding Koga. I believe I am the best person to continue his training, if thats alright with you, Junsu-jii." Junsui looked to Koga and then over to Seireitou, "Yes. Yes. I would agree to that. I relinquish his training to you. Master Renge, come with me. We shall begin setting up the defenses of Soul Society." he said. Renge nodded and left the area with Junsui. Koga returned Seireitou's smile and then spoke, "Well. What do we do now?" Seireitou looked over to the sky above, smirking. "So, almighty Koga. Open us a path to the Dangai." he ordered comically. However, the next instant, his look was of dead seriousness. "Alright... Whatever power this inner being has granted Koga with, its time to put it to the test.." Koga picked up on this, "Alright, here we go." he said, as a seal appeared on his hand and in the air in front of him. "Kaiganseki!" he declared, opening up a hole in the dimensions that lead to the Dangai. Koga stepped inside and into the Precipice World. "Here comes your first test on the path that has been set before you." said the spirit of Tenbatsu within his soul. "Be alert, be ready. You will learn to control your new powers during this training. The other you might show up as well, so be ready at all times." Inside the Dangai! As the duo entered the darkness and dampness that is the Dangai, an unexpected visitor had been ramming through the corridors of the Dangai Precipice World. "Stand back." stated Seireitou, as he held out his hand, forming a dense sphere that appeared like a mini-sun of sorts. "I recently learned to access my Shikai abilities without having to draw my weapon. Though, I haven't mastered this yet..." he stated, he launched the mini-sun, causing the Kōtotsu to completely explode into millions upon millions of flesh remains, scattered along the Dangai. Koga shielded himself from the blast wave, "Remarkable..." he whispered to himself. "Alright. I'm listening to you, Master. What do you have to teach me?" Seireitou looked over to Koga. "Jinzen. A power practiced since the formation of Soul Society to communicate with one's sword. In order to move on to Stage Two of our training regimen, you will need to communicate with Tenbatsu. However..." he began, looking down by tilting his head off to the side slightly. "..This Tenbatsu will go wild." Koga nodded and got into position, focusing deeply on his sword. He receded into his inner world where he found Tenbatsu standing directly across from him. "So you've come." the spirit said, summoning it's Shikai weapon form. "Tenbatsu, I have come here to master whatever you have left for me to learn." Koga replied. Tenbatsu cocked one eyebrow, "Really? You mean my Bankai? There is so much more to my power than just a Bankai, but I guess you wouldn't know that yet." he replied. Koga narrowed his eyes, "What's up with this? Tenbatsu just spoke to me not even ten minutes ago and he wasn't like this." But as he thought this, the form of Dark Koga appeared next to Tenbatsu, "Yo, Landlord!" he called out. "Wondering why Tenbatsu got so mean? It's because there is a part of you that is still clinging to me!" the dark side said, drawing it's sword. "That's...!" Koga exclaimed. Dark Koga let out a cold laugh, "That's right, this is Ryūjin Koji, your former Zanpakutō! It's mine now. It's the source of my power." he explained. Tenbatsu tossed Koga the sword in his hand, "Here." he shouted. Koga caught the sword by the hilt, but only barely, "Great. Now what?" he asked. Dark Koga cocked his own eyebrow and laughed again, "So you just fight with any sword handed to you now, eh? This is a battle to keep your Seiatsu powers boy!" the inner being screamed. Koga's eyes widened, "Sei-seiatsu?! I'm a Human!" he shouted back. This time Dark Koga roared with laughter, "Not anymore kiddo. You're a Seiatsu. You've been one ever since I let go of my control over you back in the Menos Forest!" Koga gritted his teeth, "Stop playing games! Seiatsu or not, I'll control these powers." he said firmly. "Oh?" asked Dark Koga, "Are you now? You don't even know what you are and you think you can control it?! A Seiatsu is a being that, when fused with the Hōgyoku's power, stands at the crossroads of all spiritual races. You're not a Shinigami, a Hollow, an Arrancar, a Xiāochú, or even a Shinkūmyō! By definition, you're all of them squished into one body! That's the magnificence of the Hōgyoku's Desire Materialization." the Dark Side explained. Tenbatsu spoke up now, "Dark Koga, over there, is the manifestation of the Hōgyoku that gave it's very essence to you when Takashi Sora stupidly tried to transform you. If you fail this test, your powers won't be accessible to you and you'll fail horribly against the Arrancar." he said. Koga closed his eyes for a moment, "What do I have to do?" he asked. Tenbatsu smirked, "Simple. You must drain all of his reiatsu from his body and take it for your own. This isn't like a normal battle that Vizard make in their inner world, where fighting alone is enough to gain control. Dark Koga is the Hōgyoku's power and energy, so in order for that power to be truly yours, you must drain it from him for yourself. Once you do that, it'll be yours forever." the spirit explained. Koga clenched his blade tight, "Alright, lets do this darker me." he said to Dark Koga. Dark Koga nodded and began gathering a massive Cero blast at his chest. He then fired it at Koga, in a much more massive version than Koga's own Cero. Koga began to shield himself, however, Tenbatsu appeared in between them and swatted the Cero away. "Why do you cower Koga? Do you think mere size matters? You have my sword form in your hands! Fight with me!" he shouted. "This will be the last time I will step in for you." Koga nodded, "Thanks Tenbatsu." he replied as energy began to gather on his blade. "Zaiten Tenshō!" he roared, firing the blast from his Shikai-level blade, right for the seemingly furious Dark Koga, who caught it with his bare hands and smashed it. The shockwave that resulted sent Koga flying backwards. Koga flipped around and launched himself towards Dark Koga, who did the same and the two engaged in fast hand-to-hand combat. "He's much faster than me...!" Koga realized as he was again knocked away. "You're gonna lose your powers at this rate!" the Dark Side taunted. "Not likely!" Koga yelled, smashing his blade against Dark Koga's. With his foot, he kicked Dark Koga into a cliff within the inner world and then followed up by charging a black Cero of his own in his hand. "Cero Oscuras!" he declared, firing the black and purple Cero wave. The blast hit home, causing tremendous damage to the surrounding area. However, Dark Koga survived, using Senkō to appear right in front of Koga and grab his head. "I'm the one that killed your mother!" he forced into Koga's mind, causing the latter to drop his blade and go limp. "When you were little, you couldn't control your darker half. One day, you turned me on Tenyo after becoming enraged at a kid who was bullying him. When your mother tried to stop you, I made you kill her!" Dark Koga explained, revealing every gruesome detail. Suddenly, Koga summoned his sword back to him. "Then I'll be doing my mom a favor, by avenging her here!" he roared. "Bankai!" An explosion ripped through the inner world and when it cleared the blade of his sword had lengthened and the hilt of his sword shortened, making his Zanpakutō into the shape of a nodaichi. The hilt was now yellow in color and the guard was in the shape of the kanji Ten(天, Heaven) as well as being black in color. His outfit was now similar to the one he always wears, only now it is a white cloak that is split in four sections near his waist. There was a cross in the middle of the cloak, similar to the appearance of a Demi-Seiatsu when they had the Hōgyoku embedded in them. He also wore form fitting white pants that double as boots, as they cover everything from his waist down. "I'll end this here! Zaiten Tenshō Niōda: Han no Zennōsha!" he roared. Dark Koga was hit with strike upon strike, forcing him to the ground again. Dark Koga's reiatsu began to flow from him into Koga himself, causing the dark side to panic. Dark Koga launched himself towards Koga in a final desperate act to kill his master, but Koga was ready. "Vanish, dark one!" he declared, "Zaiten Tenshō Saishūōda: Shinrabanshō Sanzen!" A brilliant golden wave over came the dark side of Koga's soul as the last of it's reiatsu united with Koga, and it then vanished. When the smoke cleared, the inner world began to fade. "Good job young one." Tenbatsu said as he returned to his spot, "You've earned that power...my power." he told Koga as Koga returned back to the Dangai and opened his eyes. Seireitou has watched his body the entire time, and smiled softly as Koga's eyes had slowly opened. "Well well, Koga. You survived." he commented. Koga looked down at his sword and gripped it tightly by the hilt, "It seems so." he replied, still in a daze. "I don't sense Dark Koga anymore. I wonder what happened." he thought. He then stood to his feet and sheathed his blade. "Looks like I've got a hold on my powers now. They aren't spiking or fluctuating so much, and this spiritual energy is becoming more comfortable to me." he explained. Seireitou nodded, as he took off his brown robe, revealing his tannish tunic-like uniform. He then slowly brandished his blade, holding out to his side. "Now here comes Stage two. If you can land three direct slashes connecting from my shoulder length to waist. However... this must be done before... I kick your ass." he challeneged. Stage Two: Seireitou Kawahiru vs Koga Tensei Koga brandished his own blade, settling it into an attack stance in front of himself. "Now it's time to use what you learned today in combination with what you learned against Xerxes. Only with that can you defeat Seireitou." Tenbatsu explained. Koga nodded his response, "Very well. I shall not let him take me down." The spirit of Tenbatsu nodded, "I'm temporarily taking away your Shikai and Bankai." it informed him. "What?!" he shouted, "Why?!" The spirit almost giggled, "To teach you of your other release. Your Tenkai. You can release when ready." Koga's eyes widened, "Tenkai?! Seriously? And why should I release so early on?" he told the spirit mentally. "Simple." it replied, "Because the timing of a release is only about pride. Use it now, when you are at your greatest advantage and gain the upper hand. You have one advantage; Seireitou doesn't know anything about Seiatsu except what you show him. He's curious. Now fill that curiosity." Koga nodded and then held his sword out in front of him, "Dominate the Heavens, Tenbatsu Niokeru-Kōmorihagai!" he shouted, releasing black and purple energy into the sky, forming a pillar. Within seconds the energy crashed to the ground in wave form, revealing Koga with a more form fitting version of his white attire and black bat wings. "Ready, Sei-san..." he said in a low voice. Seireitou was surprised somewhat at this new form, "Hm.. so that's what I was sensing all this time. For a moment there, I was hoping that my senses were tricking me... Tch, looks like this won't be easy." He threw his sword up into the air, as he smirked. The very instant the blade stabbed through the ground as it landed, Seireitou immediately appeared to Koga's left, attempting a knee-thrust to the latter's stomach. Koga blocked with his left wing and flung Seireitou away. "Don't get cocky now." he told himself, "Think. Seireitou is a tough opponent. Just transforming will never defeat him. I have to do this the hard way. I have to fight with everything I've got and then some." Without warning and without a pose, Koga fired off his Cero Oscuras from his chest, traveling towards Seireitou at tremendous speeds. Making a swift motion to the right, Seireitou seemingly dodged the Cero, but the same Cero left a gash running down his shoulder. Despite this, Seireitou charged at Koga head-on, preparing to land yet another kick on him. Koga spread out his wings and made a slashing motion with his right wing, "Zaiten Tenshō.." he declared, releasing a blackish-purple wave of energy from his wing which traveled forward quickly for the oncoming Seireitou. Seireitou made a clean jump up, making a backflip over Koga, and landing perfectly on the opposite side, sending a Hadō #4: Byakurai straight for Koga. Little did the latter know, Seireitou's blood had spilled onto the sides of Koga's wings. Almost surprising himself in the process, Koga dodged and appeared right above Seireitou, with his arms folded. "Woah...that was no normal Shunpō! It was easier. It felt like I just skated right by his senses." he thought in his mind. "Tch... having to dodge such a low-level Kidō? Perhaps Koga isn't as strong as I expected." he smiled, holding out his hand. "Or perhaps," Koga said, surprising Seireitou as he continued his line of thought, "your supposed low level kidō was pathetically slow." Koga opened his palm, "Zaiten Tenshō." he said once more, this time forming a lance out of it's energy. "This flexibility is incredible." he thought to himself. Seireitou tilted his head up, smiling warmly. "Care to back that up, Batman?" he mused, as if egging Koga on to make him go on the offensive. "Keep yourself level headed, Koga." reminded Tenbatsu, "Use your new powers carefully. Don't be reckless." Koga agreed silently. With a flash he appeared on the ground below Seireitou, swinging upwards to create a massive wave of energy, heading straight up towards Seireitou. Smirking, Seireitou leaned back, snapping his wrist as his Zanpakutō came flying for his hand. However, thanks to the blood spilt from earlier, the blade was making a short detour... as it flew through Koga's wing, cutting it clean off as blood exploded into the air, causing Koga to enter a state of shock. Taking that chance, Seireitou took hold of his blade, "Shikon... Hisakiten." he stated, blasting Koga at point-blank with his Shikai's signature technique. White Blades, Black Wings, Green Waves, Lavender Tails Koga caught the blast with his right hand, pushing against it with all his might. "Koga! Focus! Your wing isn't all that important. Focus on beating him!" Tenbatsu screamed. Koga knew what to do. He flashed next to Seireitou, still holding the Shikon Hisakiten. With his free left hand he pointed to the side of him, firing an instantaneous Cero Oscuras at full power towards Seireitou. "I thought so." he said, gaining a serious look in his eye as he barely dodged the attack, leaving a thin yet deep gash leading up his waist to the left shoulder. He chuckled softly, "Well, looks like you got me. But I warn you, you will not make another gash on me." he declared, as he tore off the clothing covering his left pec, revealing a japanese character for the term, Sage. "The Seijin Council Masters all possess this limiter, in order to prevent enemies from determining our power levels right off. However, because we're in the Dangai, and its just us.. I don't see the harm. But I warn you. The limiter reduces a Master's power by...-" he started, narrowing his eyes, "-.. 80%." he stated as he widened his eyes for a mere moment, his sage limiter slowly corroding away as his body became enveloped in a dense black spiritual power, overwhelming the entirety of the Dangai space, almost frightening even the Tenkai-state Koga. Koga, though trembling, took his stance and faced Seireitou, "If I can't defeat you here, then there's no way I'll defeat one of the Arrancar Five. I must do this!" Seireitou was pleased by Koga's answer, yet disappointed for an unknown reason. He raised his blade, now golden in color, and closed his eyes. "Come, Tensei Koga." Koga closed the gap between the two fighters at blinding speeds, slashing down at Seireitou with all his might with his energy javelin. Without even a second thought, Seireitou's blade halted the assault almost effortlessly. "I'm surprised. After all the talk of not giving into provacations, and yet... you charge in without thinking. That was always your weak point, Koga..." he claimed. "Shikon... Hisakiten." A large burst of spiritual power exploded between the two combatants at point-blank, shown as the smoke cleared, blood being spilt on the floor, but the man who fired it was unharmed. Koga's other wing had been damaged beyond repair, "Crap...now look at me. I've gone from having the upper hand to this in less than five seconds. It's pathetic. I'm pathetic. PATHETIC!" he roared mentally. "That's because your powers aren't fully mature just yet." came the voice of Tenbatsu. "You defeated Dark Koga and took all of his power, but now that power is just floating around in your body. It has no form, no focus." As he said this, Koga's Zanpakutō reformed and he picked it up. He then faced towards Seireitou, despite his state. "I've got to win!" he shouted again mentally. Seireitou frowned, holding up his finger to his lips. "Do not raise your voice, Tensei Koga. Have to win? I have never heard of such ridiculousness. Winning isn't what the Seijin are about. And if you haven't figured that much out, perhaps you aren't cut out for the position." he insulted. "You're right. I'm not!" he blurted out, almost without thinking. "I have emotions that have been brought to the surface, they are the fuel for my power. My whole outlook was changed by this experience. Most people think about age and experience in terms of years, but it's really only moments that define us. We stay mostly the same and then grow up suddenly, at the turning points. I might not be cut out to be a Seijin, but I'm always cut out to be Koga Tensei and Koga Tensei fights to win until I'm nothing but dust!" he replied. Seireitou sighed, narrowing his eyes. "Only an Arrancar deals in absolutes. I will do what I must." he declared, holding his blade out in front of him, awaiting Koga's next move. "Crap...! How is he back again?!" Koga thought, seeming to not hear Seireitou. "We've got one more round, King. Unlike the last one, this one decides who gets control of your soul!" the voice of Dark Koga responded. Koga was then, in mid-fight, dragged back into his inner world. There stood Dark Koga in an immense form, somewhat like a Hollow's. A giant fox creature with nine large tails and hollow-like eyes as well as a giant Hollow hole in it's chest. Tenbatsu also was present. "What the heck is going on?!" Koga roared. Tenbatsu floated down beside Koga, "This is your second test. It will knock out two things at once for us; how you say 'two birds with one stone'. You see, Dark Koga, having lost all of his reiatsu, has turned into a Hollow. Even like this, though, he doesn't have his power back. Meanwhile, your power has no form to it, so you cannot use it effectively. This is the final battle between you and your darker half. The rules are different now." he explained, as a clone of reiatsu appeared of both the Hollowfied Dark Koga and Koga himself next to each other. Koga's immediately distorted and became somewhat of a blob. "You see, these clones represent your spiritual power. Yours immediately deformed while his stays normal. So, phase one of your final test will be to link his energy to yours and merge them. Then you must kill Dark Koga in order to rid his influence from your mind forever." Tenbatsu explained. Dark Koga immediately began charging a Cero Oscuras that quickly became larger than his own body. Koga slapped his hands together, causing strings to attach his spiritual body to Dark Koga's and pulled them together, forcing them to combine and get sucked into Koga. Koga then charged his own Cero Oscuras and fired it at the same time as Dark Koga. With Dark Koga's energy now without form and Koga's with a form, Koga quickly overwhelmed the dark side and hit it full force with his Cero, causing it to fade at last. Back in the Dangai, Koga had re-entered Tenkai, "Looks like without his influence, my Seijō Reiryoku is starting to feel more and more like a Master's, while my real reiryoku...it seems to have increased. I can do this! I can win...and not go down the dark path." he said opening his eyes once more and smiling. He then vanished and slashed the ground right in front of Seireitou, kicking up a large cloud of dust. Then from behind an instantaneous Cero Oscuras was fired for the Seijin Master's back. Seireitou jumped up, landing right on Koga's shoulder. Without another moment wasted, Seireitou attempted to cut Koga's neck clean off. "Here goes. That dark guy's influence is diminishing, so lets see... how far you've come!" "I can see! It's like he's moving in slow motion." Koga thought, reaching his free hand over and catching Seireitou's blade. "This is it!" he thought as Zaiten Tenshō's energy erupted from every part of his body, "Zaiten Tenshō!" he roared, catching Seireitou smack in the middle of a pillar of energy as it exited Koga's and shot upward. Being pushed back, Seireitou grimaced at the second slash delivered up his upper body. "I see..." he thought, as he halted his movement, holding his blade up. "Here goes." A large torrent of lavender spiritual power developed around Seireitou, slowly compressing into him. His face is replaced with a lavender canvas made entirely of sapphire, as his entire body is now encased in. He also has retractable crystal claws on his fingertips and toes, small furry black tufts, and long fox ears that appear to be solid crystal and stand upwards, similar to that of horns. Behind him, it is shown that he possesses a long crystal tail, almost exact in appearance to a fox's, but much longer in comparison. His eyes are no longer visible, but replaced by a pair of glowing crimson lenses that serve as eyes. "Now.. come!" he spoke, in a dual voice, sounding like both himself and Sanagi. "That is the other side of Seireitou's soul." explained Tenbatsu, "Like you, he has a darker half. I've heard him refer to this one as Sanagi. You can't beat him like this. It's time for you to use your mastered Bankai. Go for it." Koga held out his blade in front of him as his Tenkai receded. "Bankai! Tenbatsu Tekimen!" he cried, causing energy to erupt from his body. The blade of his sword again lengthened and the hilt of his sword shortened, making his Zanpakutō back into the shape of a nodaichi. The hilt of Tenbatsu Tekimen became yellow in color and the guard, the shape of the kanji Ten (天, Heaven) as well as becoming black in color. His outfit became similar to the one he always wears, only now it has a white cloak that is split in four sections near his waist. There is also a cross in the middle of the cloak, similar to the appearance of a Demi-Seiatsu when they had the Hōgyoku embedded in them. He also wears form fitting white pants that double as boots, as the cover everything from his waist down. "Sei..you too have to vanquish your darker half! Even if I have to beat it out of you like you did for me!" he thought as he charged. Shatterpoint: Seireitou & Sanagi vs Koga & Tenbatsu "Vanquish... my dark side?" he began, as a massive lavender reiatsu was enough to push back the invading Koga. "Do not speak of such foolishness. Vanquishing darkness? There is no such thing as this." he explained, as the words of Yurai, Hanullim, and even Sanagi came into mind. "You had destroyed your darker side, in order to vanquish it? How narrow-minded. The real evil is the power to kill people. Somone who finds himself with that power is cursed. No matter how you use it, anything obtained by killing people can never bring true happiness." he explained. While his voice remained calm and collected, the lull of both his voice intertwining with Sanagi's stroke fear in Koga's heart with each word. "All you did was kill something in order to obtain power and dominance. Is that... not darkness?" he asked, holding his blade at the ready, though seeming very serene, as if showing Koga that his power came nowhere near close to his own. "So, does that mean you believe everything you are told? For if I am not correct, both of us have killed countless Hollows and destroyed the lives of many Arrancar. Right now the Seijin Order is telling us to prepare for war because our way of life and Sora's don't mix, yet we assume that our's is the "right way". How do you know when something is right or wrong? What about good or evil? Simple! It is how they use the "power to kill". Good will use it sparingly; to save their lives or the lives of the people they care about. Evil will use it to cut down anything that gets in the way of their way of life." he explained. Suddenly, his fear diminished and his eyes glowed bright blue as a burst of reiatsu freed him from Seireitou's, "You use that huge reiatsu to instill fear in your foes, but it won't work on me anymore." As he said this, Seireitou's lavender reiatsu slowly turned blue and pushed it's way back to the silver-haired Master. "To answer your question, NO, killing something to obtain dominance is never darkness if the very light we've sworn to protect is in danger! I vanquished the evil in my heart and now I and my Zanpakutō can hear each other clearly with no barriers invading that space. Look what this one called Sanagi has turned your body into! If you don't refuse his influence, you'll become just as mental as he is." Koga finished. Seireitou smirked, followed by a serious of light chuckles. "You sure do talk alot, Koga. Nevertheless, you preach an idea full of naiveté." he mused. "Who are you to decide the one inside of you, Dark Koga, is the evil one? What if Tenbatsu was the evil one? As learned from the Aizen Incident, names and traits can be very misleading." he countered. "Idiot. Did you not just listen to what I told you? That's just like saying...that Datara was the good one and you were evil. It makes no sense at all! Use your head! That common sense was instilled in you for a reason. We live in a time where evil is being passed off as just misunderstood, while good is looked on as a mere point of view. Times are changing...that's why Yurai appeared to you." he said, suddenly softening his voice. "That's right, I know about him. Once can't help but feel a light presence that overwhelming. He appeared to you to turn you around before you became consumed by this false ideology. Wake up! Lies have been fed to you by the Gotei 13 and by Sanagi, so much so that you believe it's the truth! If you don't fight for the "light" or for "good", then what do you fight for? Yourself? Shiori? Me or the Order? If nothing else, think of Shiori! Think of her. What would she say to you right now? About your ideology and about this form you've let Sanagi take you to? Answer me that, and then I'll know where your heart lies." Koga shouted, begging his friend to rid himself of the darkness. Seireitou sighed, "Power is power, call it what you will. What it is used for, is another thing entirely. You are but a child. You know nothing about this world. You... have forgotten your color." he bluntly stated, sending off an immense Cero Lamparos, without making a single motion, almost effortlessly. "Tch, dodging the question. I have no choice then. I have to see your heart with violence, and that is not the way I wanted to do it!" he thought. "Cero Oscuras!" he shouted, firing an immense wave of black energy for Seireitou's Cero Lamparos; both blasts colliding in the middle. Seireitou could barely see Koga through the inferno of the Cero collision, though stood tall. "Sanagi is a part of me. Darkness and Light are two sides of a coin. We cannot exist without both. Do not spout ludicrous and naive statements about destroying one of the sides." "No! Darkness cannot exist if you truly have any light in you. Darkness flees from the light, it can be vanquished. Why can't you see that?! Sanagi is indeed apart of you, but only by your own choice." Koga shouted as the ground trembled from their clash. Seireitou smiled softly, "I see. That is your answer then?" he asked, sending yet another massive Cero Lamparos, but this time, at the ground below him. Koga grinned as a tornado of energy surrounded him, "Not quite." he said as the energy entered his blade next, "My answer is..." he began, sending the energy torrent at Seireitou, canceling out both Cero Lamparos and encircling him to prevent him from moving, Koga then appeared directly above him, aiming to make the third and final strike, "....Darkness or no darkness, you are my friend and...on my honor a Seijin, I will protect you!" he shouted, bringing his sword down hard. With a flick of the wrist, Seireitou grabbed Koga's blade with an open palm, as his crystal state began to retreat. "Naruhodo." he replied, in full japanese. "I have nothing left to teach you, Koga." he answered, with a soft smile. Koga grinned happily back as his Bankai receded. "Looks like it's back to Soul Society with us." "Not quite yet." Seireitou stated, as he looked around. "We have actually one more lesson. I just said nothing left to teach you for dramatic purposes." he confessed. Koga narrowed his eyes comically, "Geez your almost as dramatic as a woman, ain't ya?" he asked. Seireitou smirked, "Disregarding that... You have one last thing to learn. A Seijin's strongest weapon." he explains. He walked over to the edge of the Dangai, and smiled softly. "The Seijin's... Osore technique." he states. The Osore Technique O-osore technique?" Koga asked. "Osore is a technique known only by Seijin Masters. In short, it refers to using one's will to control another's. Using it successfully, would result in permanently ridding an opponent of... say a Bankai release. In other words, that make more sense to you, its like transforming into a Hogyoku, if only for a split-second. However, unlike that of the Hogyoku, its capabilites are devastating. Follow me so far?" he asked. Koga nodded, "Yeah I understand somewhat. So, how is it preformed?" he asked. Seireitou walked over to Koga, placing his finger on Koga's chest. He breathed in, as Koga's hair began to change into a more black color. He then let go, smirking. "There we are." Koga looked up, "Ugh?! I look horrible with black hair! Give me my crimson redness back!" he squealed comically. He smirked, snapping his fingers, as Koga's hair returned to its normal color. "That was a mere example. Osore's power goes well beyond changing hair color." he explained, looking at the skies above, smiling softly. Defending the Temple Elsewhere, Junsui and the other Masters, Kamui and Renge, were busy making preparations for possible invasion. Kamui's brown robe was blowing in the autumn wind, a crude sunlight piercing the heavens, falling in the Seijin Temple's direction. "Well... that should do it." Kamui stated, looking at the massive sekki-seki walls placed around the Temple complex. Renge had looked up at the sunlight, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his cheek. "Yare Yare... it's so hot, huh?" he commented. Junsui had started to reply, however, the three Masters were halted by the presence of an immense spiritual pressure. Of unknown origins, they could see signs of the sekki-seki walls tearing away slowly. The other Masters of the Council ran outside, shocked by the same pressure they felt. "Junsui-sensei!" called out Sorata Nekoi, running out with his fellow Masters. Without another movement, the sky had tore open, revealing a massive rift. Junsui looked up in shock, "A... Garg...Garganta?" he softly spoke, as four more had split open below. Four Arrancar, one of which being easily indicated from an earlier confrontation, had all stepped out. The top Garganta revealed a long blue-haired man, appearing almost akin to Master Kamui. "Well... looks like we've arrived." the blue-haired man mused. To be Continued :Next: Walking along a Path of Blood and Hatred